These cookies were simple and sensational. The original recipe named them “Brown-Edge Cookies” which didn’t seem fabulous enough! They were named for a similar crispy cookie sold by Nabisco prior to 1996 called Brown-Edge Wafers.
The recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Mille Shea and Liz Laskey, adapted by Margaux Laskey. Millie Shea learned this all-butter recipe from her mother in the 1930’s.
The authors described them as “buttery like the Danish cookies in blue tins, tender in the middle like snickerdoodles and snappy like Scottish shortbread.” The article also stated that they would be placed in the intersection of a Christmas sugar cookie, vanilla wafer, and French tuile. Wow. That is a combination of quite a few favorites!
I made half of the recipe below, yielding about 32 cookies. The recipe (even half of the recipe!) definitely makes enough to share.
Yield: about 5 dozen
- 1 pound/453 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 pound/453 grams granulated sugar (2 1/4 cups)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups/384 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- Arrange two racks around the middle of the oven and heat oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add egg and vanilla. Beat on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup flour and the salt and beat on low to just combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining 2 cups flour and beat on low until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, then beat on medium for 30 seconds just until no flour streaks remain.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart as the cookies spread quite a bit while baking. (I used a 1 T cookie scoop, leveled, and placed 8 cookies per sheet.)
- Bake 2 sheets at a time, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are lightly browned and the centers are slightly puffed, 8 to 9 minutes on convection or up to 10 to 12 minutes in a standard oven. Be careful not to overbake.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Cool on the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to the rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
thebrookcook 
Yum. The butter makes it that way. 🍪
They don’t look that exciting but they were super delicious. 🙂